If you can’t hear a person’s voice clearly, hear crackling, hear static, or have issues with sound quality, you likely have a problem with your iPhone speaker. In this article, I’ll show you how to fix your iPhone speaker problem once and for all.
When an iPhone speaker is not working, a lot of the functionality that makes an iPhone so great suddenly disappears — you can’t listen to music, make calls on speakerphone, or hear the “ding" of text messages and voicemails. Speaker problems can be the result of hardware or software issues, so troubleshooting this problem isn’t always the easiest — but I’ll show you how to fix an iPhone speaker, step-by-step.
Why is my iPhone speaker not working?
As I’ve mentioned above, iPhone speaker problems can be the result of hardware or software issues:
Software issues
If the software is malfunctioning, your iPhone may not be sending the proper signals to the speaker, so the speaker doesn’t work at all or your iPhone speaker is muffled. Here’s the good news: Most software problems can be fixed at home. Unfortunately, the hardware is a different story.
Hardware issues
The hardware is responsible for converting instructions from the software into the sound that you hear from the built-in speakers located in the right grille at the bottom of your iPhone and in the earpiece of your iPhone. Speakers make sound waves when a very thin piece of material vibrates very, very quickly. If the material is damaged in any way, your iPhone speaker can stop working entirely, start to make static noises, or make your iPhone speaker muffled.
How to fix your broken iPhone speaker
You can try various fixes at home to fix your iPhone speaker, getting it back up and running in no time.
Turn the volume all the way up
If the volume on your iPhone is too low, you may not be able to hear audio output from your speakers. To fix this, turn your iPhone volume all the way up.
When you’re on a call or listening to songs, movies, or other media on iPhone, hold the volume up button until your iPhone is turned all the way up.
If the volume isn’t turning up even as you hold down the volume up button, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics, then turn on Change with Buttons.
You can also use Siri to turn up volume on your iPhone.
Activate Siri and say something like: “Turn up the volume.”
Check the sound settings on your iPhone
There are a few ways to do this.
Turn off Do Not Disturb
When Do Not Disturb is turned on, you won’t hear ringtones or text tones for incoming calls, texts, or notifications. When Do Not Disturb is on, a half moon icon appears in the status bar at the top of the screen.
- Open Control Center.
- Tap Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb to turn it off.
Turn off Silent mode
When Silent mode is on, iPhone doesn’t ring or play alerts or other sound effects.
- On iPhone models with an Action button: Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics, then turn Silent mode off.
- On other iPhone models: Flip the Ring/Silent switch toward the front of your iPhone to turn Silent mode off.
Check Ringer
- Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics.
- Drag the slider below Ringtone and Alerts back and forth a few times. If you don’t hear any sound, or if your speaker button on the Ringtone and Alerts slider is dimmed, your speaker might need service.
- If you hear sound, try making a call with your iPhone and turn on speakerphone. If you still can’t hear, or hear static or crackling, then your network or reception could be the issue. Try to call again later, or from a different location.
Check Volume Limit
With iOS 18.2 or later, you can limit the maximum volume of sound that plays through your iPhone’s built-in speaker. To make sure that you are not limiting the speaker volume:
- Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Volume Limit.
Turn off Limit Maximum Volume.
Disable Silence Unknown Callers
- Go to Settings > Apps > Phone.
- Tap Silence Unknown Callers, then turn off Silence Unknown Callers.
Make Sure Your iPhone Is Not In Headphones Mode
Your iPhone can be "tricked" into thinking that headphones are plugged in if there is gunk, lint, or other debris in the Lightning port, USB-C port, or headphone jack. If your iPhone thinks that headphones are plugged in, audio won’t be streamed through the speakers.
One easy way to check if your iPhone is stuck in headphones mode is to press the volume buttons on the left side of your iPhone. If the notification that pops up says "Headphones" then your iPhone is in headphones mode. To fix this glitch, do one of the following:
- Plug in your headphones, then quickly unplug them.
- Using a flashlight, inspect your Lightning port, USB-C port, or headphone jack for lint, gunk, or any other debris.
- If you see something stuck in your Lightning port, USB-C port, or headphone jack, brush it out using an anti-static brush or new toothbrush.
Turn off Bluetooth
Turning off Bluetooth is an important troubleshooting step for diagnosing sound or ringer-related iPhone problems. Often times, even though it seems like an iPhone isn’t playing sounds at all, the iPhone is connected to a Bluetooth device like an external speaker or headphones, and the sound is playing through that device and not the iPhone speaker. Turning off Bluetooth disconnects your iPhone from those devices and is an easy way to eliminate that possibility. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn off Bluetooth. If your speaker starts working again, you’ve fixed your iPhone and discovered the cause of the problem.
Disconnect Your iPhone From AirPlay Devices
Disconnect from AirPlay devices to make sure your iPhone isn’t streaming audio through another device (such as an Apple TV) rather than your iPhone speaker. Sometimes, your iPhone will automatically reconnect to AirPlay devices that you’ve used before.
- Open Control Center on your iPhone.
- Tap the Screen Mirroring button, then tap Stop Mirroring.
Now that you are disconnected from AirPlay devices, sounds will be streamed through your iPhone speakers.
If you want to prevent your device from automatically starting an AirPlay session, go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Continuity, then choose Never, or Ask.
Restart your iPhone
Restarting your iPhone can sometimes fix minor software glitches and errors preventing your iPhone speakers from working.
- Press and hold the power button (iPhones without Face ID) or the side button and either volume button (iPhones with Face ID) on your iPhone until the slide to power off slider appears on the display.
- Swipe the red power icon from left to right to turn off your iPhone.
- Wait about 30 seconds, then press and hold the power button (iPhones without Face ID) or the side button (iPhones with Face ID) again until the Apple logo appears in the center of the display.
Update iOS
You can resolve your iPhone speaker problem by installing the latest iOS update. Here’s how you can check for and install iOS update:
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Tap Update Now if an update is available.
Clean your speakers and receivers
Over the course of a day, a lot of debris can get stuck in your iPhone’s speakers, especially if you keep your iPhone in your pocket. If your iPhone speakers are full of lint, dirt, or any other gunk, they may sound muffled or not make any noise at all. Similarly, if your iPhone receiver is blocked or dirty, you may experience sound issues during calls.
- Remove all screen protectors, films, or cases from your iPhone.
- Check the speaker opening to see if it’s blocked or dirty. Also, make sure that the receiver isn’t blocked or dirty.
- If necessary, clean the speaker or receiver opening with a small, soft-bristled brush. Make sure that the brush is clean and dry.
Reset your settings
If you’ve tried everything else and your sound still isn’t working, try resetting your iPhone settings. This won’t affect your messages, apps, or media files, and it will give your settings—like sound and display—a reset. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset.
- Tap Reset All Settings.
Repair Your iPhone Speaker
If your iPhone speaker is broken or your iPhone speaker is muffled or won’t work during calls, the good news is that Apple does replace iPhone speakers both at the Genius Bar and through their mail-in repair service at their support website. If your iPhone speaker is still not working after trying all the solutions explained in this guide, schedule a Genius Bar appointment at your nearest Apple Store to get your device repaired.
How much does iPhone speaker repair cost?
iPhone speaker repair cost varies from $49 to $119. For AppleCare Plus subscribers, the cost is $29. Fees may vary if you get your iPhone speaker repaired elsewhere.
Conclusion
By this point, we’ve either fixed your iPhone’s software or we’ve determined that your iPhone speaker is not working because of a hardware problem and you know how to get your iPhone repaired. If you have time, share how you first realized your iPhone speaker wasn’t working and which fix worked for you in the comments section below—that will help other people with the same problem.
